STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – A detached, two-car garage collapsed in the backyard of a Scribner Avenue home Saturday morning, shaking the quiet New Brighton houses on the hill.

The wooden structure was in the process of being demolished when it collapsed shortly before 10 a.m., according to a fire chief at the scene. Firefighters searched the perimeter and reported no injuries.

Neighbors claimed that the owners of the house, who were not present at the time of the garage collapse, had taken it upon themselves to demolish the garage. FDNY officials could not confirm whether any contractors were involved in the work.

"It sounded like the whole world came down on Scribner Avenue this morning," said a neighbor at the scene who wished to remain anonymous.

Julie Moody Lewis lives next door to the home on Scribner. When she heard the crash, she ran to her window. Something seemed different in her neighbor's yard, she said, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it immediately.

"Then I realized, 'Oh, the whole wall came down!'" she said. "It's scary. There are so many beautiful old homes in the neighborhood; I think these people bought the property to fix it up."

A fire chief at the scene said the owner of the property and the Department of Buildings were en route to the location.